-- Rob Beirtempfel of the Tribune review has some sobering news regarding Craig Hansen. He writes that

"Reliever Craig Hansen's career may be in jeopardy due to Parsonage-Turner Syndrome, a rare condition which affects the nerves that conduct signals from the spine to the shoulder. PTS is marked by severe pain, shoulder paralysis and lack of control of the arm, wrist or hand. The cause of PTS is unknown, but it has been linked to viral and bacterial infections, surgery, vaccinations and parasitic infestation.

About 75 percent of those affected by PTS have fully recovered within two years, but some recoveries take up to five years."

Things don't sound good for Hansen. The disease has a best case scenario of running its course in seven months, but it could take years.

"The Pirates traded RHP Mike Koplove to the Mariners for SS Deybis Benitez. Koplove has been pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis since mid-season and had been one of the Indians' most reliable relievers. He went 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in 22 relief appearances. Benitez has been assigned to low-A West Virginia."

Talk It Up

If you have any thoughts to share or an idea for a future post, we're all ears. Give us a shout atThe Green Weenie. And by all means, let your voice be heard and leave a comment. We enjoy the chatter.

One rule: if you want to leave a relevant link, or a link to your site, that's fine with us; the more the merrier. But if you're trying to sell stuff or are leaving flaming posts, we zap it, no questions asked.